In Due Time
by P-Artsypants
Summary: As another illness sweeps through Berk, Gothi needs another ingredient for her medicine...one that doesn't exist anymore. Fortunately, she kept that old spell book around for such an occasion. Big Hiccup is sent to five years into the past, and his younger self sent to take his place in the future. But it's only a few days, what could go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

This was a weird idea that came to me at 2 am. I dwelt on it enough that I thought 'ya know, I can make this work.'

—

Takes place during the last season of RTTE. And 6ish months before the first film. I highly suggest looking up AJ Kane on Youtube and listening to his intro video. He's playing kid Hiccup in HTTYD3 (we think).

—

"Alright, that's a bushel of red oleander, a pint of honey, a tablespoon of Monstrous Nightmare gel, 4 sticks of cinnamon, and a pound of ground squirrel bones. Is that it?" Hiccup looked over the ingredients they had gathered.

He and his team, along with Gobber, Stoick, and Gothi gathered in the Great Hall, looking over the sick patients who had been quarantined here. There had been another outbreak. Another sickness that was taking villagers, and making them cough, vomit, and bleed from their noses before putting them into a coma-like sleep. Thankfully, no one had died yet, but it was only a matter of time. And more and more villagers came up to the Great Hall with rags covering their noses.

They had to find a cure.

Luckily, Gothi was something of a witch in that regard. She looked over the ingredients the kids had gathered, took just a bit, and crushed it into a paste with a mortar and pestle. Then she fed it to one of the sick patients.

He didn't even stir.

Gothi frowned, her wrinkly mouth screwing up in a flurry of lines. With her staff, she wrote in the dirt.

"She says, there's one ingredient she's missing, but she was hoping she didn't need it," Gobber read.

"Well, what is it?" Urged Stoick.

"North Swamp Flightmare Algae."

Hiccup frowned. "Well, it'll take a day, but there's another island with the algae we can get."

Gothi smacked him in the head and underlined 'North Swamp' on her note.

"Ow! Yeah! I get it! But there's not any Flightmare Algae in the North Swamp. We let it all out to sea years ago to get rid of the Flightmare."

Gothi was writing again, her eyebrows furrowed.

"She says…then we'll have to go back to when it was there."

Everyone looked at each other, and then back at the old woman.

"Have you finally gone Senile?" Hiccup blurted out. That earned him another swat.

"Yeah, I deserved that one."

Gothi didn't elaborate any further as she beckoned them up to her house.

—

Astrid, Hiccup, Stoick, and Gobber all awkwardly crowded in her little hut as she walked around, flipping pages in books and going through jars of what just looked like dust.

"Are you going to explain yourself anytime soon, Gothi?" Asked Stoick.

She glared at him, and then continued her work.

A large, full body wash basin was pulled into the middle of the room from a corner, and Gothi handed out buckets to her guests, and then pointed outside.

"You want us to fill up the tub with water?" Hiccup guessed.

Gothi nodded once, happy to see he picked up her request quickly.

A few trips down the mountain and back, the tub was mostly full.

Still quiet and aggravatingly mysterious, Gothi added a mixture of dusts to the water. Finally, she yanked on Hiccup's hand and plucked a lock of hair from his head and dropped it in the liquid. The water illuminated a bright purple, and sent off sparks, startling everyone. Smoke began to billow out and fill the room.

"Is…this normal?"

When the smoke subsided and the water returned to being clear, Gothi finally explained her plan.

Gobber read from her scratching. "She says, she's made a potion that will switch present Hiccup with past Hiccup so he can get the Algae."

"Whoa whoa whoa wait, what?!" Hiccup shouted.

She scribbled some more.

"If you lay in the water, you will go to the past and replace the version of you that existed back then."

"Are you seriously talking about time travel!? Nuh huh! No way!"

She whacked him again and again. "Okay okay! Gods, why me?"

Astrid shrugged with a little grin. "Maybe it's pay back for the time you slapped her and set her on fire."

He grimaced. "That was an accident! I would never-!" His voice cracked in desperation.

But Gothi was writing on the floor calmly.

"She says…she picked you because you need it."

"I…what? Why?"

She didn't write anymore and Gobber shrugged.

"How…how many years am I going back?"

"Five."

Silence took the room as everyone digested that information.

"That's…that's before Toothless." Astrid said.

Hiccup had his eyes closed, painfully. "I really don't want to go back to that."

But Gothi wasn't giving him a choice as she tugged on his hand again and started undoing his armor. He got the message and undid the rest by himself, just leaving the thin shirt he wore under everything. She tugged that off too. She went to a table in the corner, and mixed up a paste. Then she returned and drew a sigil with it on his chest and on his forehead.

Finally she wrote some more in the dust. " _I'm returning you to a time when the algae still remained in the North Swamp. You will have three days to collect the algae and return._ "

"And how do I do that?"

" _After 3 days, fill a water basin and submerge yourself. We'll send the younger you back the same way we sent you._ "

Hiccup looked to his friends and family. "Are we really doing this?"

Astrid grabbed his arm and kissed his cheek. "You'll be fine. Gothi wouldn't do this if it wasn't safe."

Gothi nodded once and confirmed in the dirt. "You have already done this, but your memory of it disappeared after your return."

Hiccup was smart, and understood that if they were going to the past, then he would have remembered coming to the future 5 years ago. It made sense, even if Gobber was just scratching his head in confusion.

"Alright…if this is what we need to do to help the village, then I'll do it."

"Good on you lad."

Gothi beckoned him to the tub, and he climbed in. For a minute, he just sat there, wondering if it would work or not, before the water glowed purple again.

"Wish me luck!"

Gothi pressed a hand to his face and dunked him underwater. The potion flashed and smoked, but only a few seconds later, she brought him back up.

Well, sort of.

A much younger and smaller Hiccup coughed and sputtered as he broke the surface.

"What?! Where?! How!?" He shouted, in a much younger, prepubescent voice. "Gothi? Where—?"

He glanced around the room, noticing the group looking at him with awe, and ducked down into the water a little more. "Dad? Gobber?" Then, he looked at Astrid. Confused and doubtful, he managed a quiet, "…Astrid?"

She smiled at him. "So you do recognize me."

His eyes bugged out of his head. "One minute, I'm taking a bath and then next…" He put his head in his hand, disoriented.

"How old are you, Hiccup?" Asked Gobber.

"I'm…14?" He said, with uncertainty.

Stoick reached down to pull him out of the water, but Hiccup surged forward and covered himself with a blush. He was very naked, having been bathing prior to this.

Astrid turned away with a little giggle.

Gothi had mercy on him and dropped a towel on his shoulders as he climbed out of the tub. "I still don't understand…did I do something wrong? Was I hurt? Have I been unconscious?" Hiccup looked up guilty at his father.

"No no, son. You didn't do anything wrong." Stoick wrapped the towel around him a little tighter and rubbed his arms.

Astrid turned back around, but said nothing. Her eyes were drawn to his left leg, which was still in one piece. Of course it was, this was before the dragons, right?

Looking at him standing next to Stoick, she was struck by how small he was. Of course she remembered him being tiny, and always shorter than her. But she had grown up as well, and now he looked so fragile, she was afraid to breathe on him.

Little Hiccup looked around, terrified and very confused.

Stoick spoke to him, softly, which seemed to scare him even more. "Thanks to Gothi, you've been sent 5 years into the future. Our Hiccup had to go back and find something that doesn't exist anymore. So you've switched with him for a bit."

Hiccup said nothing, only looked between those gathered, and did the only logical thing.

He screamed bloody murder and passed out.

—

Five years ago, Big Hiccup surfaced in his home bathtub, sputtering and coughing. He hadn't expected Gothi to shove him in the water like she had, so he had inhaled a bit of fluid on the way down.

"You okay in there son?" Stoick called from the other room.

"Yeah, dad. I'm fine."

Hiccup felt the house shake before the curtain flew back suddenly. Stoick was there, wide eyed, and staring at him.

"Hiccup…?"

"Hi," he smiled.

"You…" Stoick looked him over, his mouth fighting for words. It was definitely his son, he'd know those eyes and big nose anywhere…but he was so big now…"I've heard of boys going through puberty overnight, but this is ridiculous."

Hiccup couldn't help but laugh as he stood. "Sorry, uh…this is going to sound weird, but I'm Hiccup from five years in the future. Gothi switched me and your Hiccup so that I can get something that doesn't exist in the future anymore."

"You mean to tell me that old hag is behind this?"

Hiccup grinned again and actually stepped out of the tub, good foot first. "Well, yeah, but it's for a good cause. You see, Berk gets sick and we need to—"

Stoick choked suddenly.

"What's wrong?"

"Son…what happened—your leg…"

Hiccup glanced down at his metal foot. "Oh that? That happened years ago. You see, I killed a dragon—" He didn't get to finish his story as Stoick promptly passed out on the floor.

—

Now dressed, in clothes too big for him mind you, Little Hiccup sat in Gothi's hut while everyone explained the situation to him again, slower and gentler this time.

"So…you're saying that 19-year-old Hiccup needs an ingredient for a cure, and the only way to get it is to take my spot in the past?"

"That's right," Astrid confirmed.

"Then, what I am supposed to do in the meantime?"

She rested a calming hand on his head, watching as he blushed several shades. "I guess you'll just have to hang out with us."

"O-O-okay…" He shrugged, trying to be cool. Internally, he was freaking out. How close was Big Hiccup to Astrid?

"We should go back to the others at the Great Hall and let them know what's going on."

"Others?" Asked Hiccup.

"The other riders, Fishlegs, the Twins, and Snotlout."

Hiccup recoiled. "I don't want to see Snotlout, he hits me." Then he whirled on his dad. "And I know it's a viking thing! And that it shouldn't bother me! But I still don't like it!"

Stoick looked a little put off, and then smiled, and twinkle in his eye. "You don't have to worry about Snotlout, son."

"Yeah," Astrid smiled. "He can be a jerk, but he hasn't been a bully to you since—" _Since the Red Death._ But they couldn't tell him about that. That would totally freak him out. "Since you grew taller than him."

Hiccup looked surprised. "I grow taller than Snotlout?"

"Taller than all of us, except your dad. You're over six feet tall."

Hiccup scoffed. "There's no way…"

Gothi crossed her arms with a little huff.

"Oh, I think she's telling us to get out."

Hiccup stood, and hiked up his pants. Then he followed everyone out to the deck, before he saw a black dragon staring at him.

"Ah!" Hiccup shouted before diving right back into the shack.

Stoick laughed. "Ah, it's okay boy-o, Toothless isn't going to hurt you. He's your friend."

Hiccup peeked out the door with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Did-Did you just say…that he's...a dragon, is my friend?"

"Aye! It's Toothless!"

Astrid wasn't sure how they were going to explain Hiccup's sudden change to the dragon. But it turns out, he didn't care.

Toothless sniffed the frightened boy and decided that, yep, this was Hiccup, he must have just shrunk in the wash. He nuzzled and purred, and crooned. And then licked his face.

"Gah! Wait! Stop! That tickles!" Spit dripped off of him after Toothless let go. "Eww…"

Stoick patted Little Hiccup on the head as he spoke to Astrid. "We'll meet you two down at the Great Hall. Why don't you give him…a little tour of the island?"

Astrid smiled mischievously, and turned to the dragon. "Now Toothless, this Hiccup doesn't quite know you, so I'm going to be piloting you, okay?"

Toothless looked put off and whined at Hiccup.

"Don't look at me! It's not my fault!"

Astrid mounted the saddle and clicked out the auxiliary line for other riders in case of emergency, then she offered her hand. "You coming?"

"We…We're flying?"

"Duh! Come on!"

Gingerly, he mounted the saddle behind her and she placed his arms around her waist.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Toothless took that as a launch request and took off into the air.

Both riders screamed. Astrid, in exhilaration, and Hiccup in pure terror.

"Oh Gods! I'm dying! I'm going to die! This is the end!"

Astrid couldn't help but laugh. In less than a year, his time, he'd be doing this exact thing to her younger self.

This was revenge, wasn't it? A sick revenge that she'd never get to pull without this weird time swap.

"AAASSSSTTRRRIIIDDDDD!" He cried. "I'm gonna hurl!"

And in two soft pats, Toothless evened out to a serene, gentle glide. Hiccup dry heaved and slowly caught his breath. "Gee. Thanks."

 _Still the sarcastic little shit_ , she mused. "Sorry, you usually enjoy flying like a maniac."

"Well, maybe I get a stronger stomach in the future." He rested his head on her back, too sick to be ashamed. She just patted his hand in consolation.

"I'll take it easy from here on out, then."

Hiccup took in view. They were so _high_ , it was dizzying. He shut his eyes and hid his face in her back again. It was too much.

But then, he inhaled, and smelled the sweet fragrance of her hair and her clothes. She was so soft to lean against, to hold around the waist. So soft and warm…he smiled.

"Uh, Hiccup? Whatcha doing there?"

What was he doing? Oh. His hand was totally groping her breast.

" **I'm sorry!** " He screamed, and let go of her entirely. The sudden action made him lose his balance and he fell right off the saddle with a scream.

Astrid scoffed with a little grin. "Boys."

—

Big Hiccup got a cold wash cloth for his dad.

"Thanks son."

"No problem," Hiccup said with a smile. He glanced around his childhood home. A lot of things changed in 5 years, sure, but he had forgotten how many weapons and dragon remains decorated the house. It was gruesome and sad.

"Now, about this dragon…" Stoick began.

Hiccup held up his hand. "Look, Gothi already told me you're going to forget about everything that happens while I'm here. So, I could tell you, or you can find out in…oh, a little less than a year from now."

Stoick frowned hard. "That soon? Why, you're still such a tiny thing…"

"True. Though by then, my voice will have changed…"

"…what kind of dragon is it?" Stoick didn't even try to mask the excitement in his voice.

Hiccup grinned. "We call it the Red Death."

"Hmm, never heard of it before. Small and poisonous, is it? Had to amputate your leg to save you?"

Hiccup laughed. "God, I wish. It's…hold on, where's my sketchbook?" Hiccup trekked upstairs and stared at his room, Toothless' slate wasn't there. Of course it wasn't. Toothless was off flying somewhere. Flying with two intact tail fins…

An idea struck him suddenly. He was in the past. He could make sure that Toothless never lost a tail fin, that he never shot him down…But to live the rest of his life without him? Hurting Toothless had…it had fixed everything in the end. Without him, the raids would continue on, and he'd never get respect from his father, he'd never get close to his friends…and he'd never get Astrid. And that's what started this whole thing after all, wasn't it? Killing a dragon to get the girl.

He heard the steps creak behind him. "I think he-you, you left it on the desk." Stoick said softly.

He hadn't noticed he had just been standing there until Stoick spoke. Sure enough, that familiar black book he had so many years ago sat on the desk. He picked it up, along with a charcoal piece. He glanced at the other items on his desk, a chill going down his spine. Schematics for weapons, dragon slaying weapons. Dragon bones. Drawings of dragons being impaled with swords and arrows, with red 'x's on them labelled 'die' and 'kill'.

Gods, he was obsessed back then. But who could blame him? Everything was awful, and killing a dragon was the only chance for redemption he had. He was so convinced that was the only thing that could make his life better…and in the end, he still had to kill the Red Death. Didn't he?

"Hiccup…?" Stoick asked again, fearing the worst.

"I'm fine…" He said, turning to face his father. The father that had the hardest time loving him and seeing him as his son instead of a thorn at his side.

"Oh, ya say that, but the tears running down yer face say something else. Are you in pain? Do I need to get Gothi?"

Hiccup rubbed his cheeks with his hand. "No, no…I'm fine. I just…remembered what it's like for me here."

Stoick frowned. "Aye, it's a bit rough. Being so small around people that just like to punch each other. But look at you now! Tall and strong! And ya even match Gobber!" He spoke proudly, obviously in love with the future he saw.

"It's not glamorous," Hiccup corrected. "I lost everything before this fight. You disowned me even."

"Disown you? Why would I do that? I mean, sure you can be a little reckless and troublesome, but nothing worth disowning you over."

"You disown me because I save a Dragon, train it, and have it as my best friend."

Stoick stared, open mouthed before he yelled. "YOU WHAT!?"

Hiccup barked a laugh, "I knew that was going to be your reaction."

"Why? Because it was the same before?!" The chief's anger was boiling. "Befriending a dragon! You've got to be joking! What kind of idiot do you take me for? What kind of idiot are you!? The mere thought of—"

Hiccup crossed his arms. This could be a while.


	2. Chapter 2

I had no idea that this fit was going to be so well received! Thank you guys for all your reviews! They mean a lot!

—

Finally, Astrid and Little Hiccup landed outside the Great Hall where their friends were gathered.

"You've been gone for an hour!" Protested Snotlout. "What took you so long?!"

Hiccup slid off the saddle and darted to hide behind her.

"Whoa, H! Is that you?" Tuff called out, leaning on Barf's head.

Hiccup peered out from his hiding place, hesitantly. But he scowled and said, "Yeah, and what of it?"

"Aw, he's so cute!" Tuff leaned in close to his face. "Had some cold water shrinkage, aye Hic? Ha, we've all been there before."

Ruff elbowed her brother. "Don't be nasty."

Astrid urged Hiccup to stand in front. He hunched his shoulders and clenched his fists. He didn't like everyone staring at him, judging him.

"So…uh, you going to explain what happened?" Asked Snotlout.

"The final ingredient for the cure is Flightmare Algae from the North Swamp."

"Right," said Fishlegs. "We know that."

"So, Gothi switched our present day Hiccup with five years ago Hiccup." She rested her hands on his shoulders. "He's going to be hanging out with us for the next few days until our Hiccup returns. Try to be nice will ya?"

Fishlegs furrowed his brow and leaned in closer to examine younger Hiccup. "Five years ago…then this is before Toothless and the Red Death."

"The Red Death?" Asked Hiccup, shyly.

Snotlout leaned on his shoulder heavily. "Yeah man! A huge dragon! The size of a mountain! A dragon queen, that eats other dragons! And _you_ go up against it!"

Hiccup just stared at him with a gasp, wide eyed.

Tuff laughed, "yeah, and you only get your leg ripped off!"

Repulsed by this idea, Hiccup shoved his cousin off of him forcefully and took off running into the the village.

"Hiccup!" Astrid and Fishlegs called after. Astrid gave chase while Fish smacked the two boys on the arm. "Nice going!"

"What! What did I do!?" Snot protested.

"Hiccup from five years ago? You three used to bully him relentlessly. Of course he's not going to take the news about losing his leg to a dragon very well, especially from you guys!"

"Well, what are we supposed to do? Not mention what was probably the greatest moment of his life?"

"We might all consider Hiccup's bravery against the Red Death as some huge accomplishment…but I know for a fact that he doesn't think so."  
"What! How can he not think that's the most awesome thing ever!?

"Look, if you don't get it, then ask him yourself." Fishlegs huffed in annoyance and stormed off.

Astrid hurried through the village, glancing at the awe-struck people milling about.

"What's wrong with Hiccup?" One asked.

"Why has he shrunk?" Asked another.

"Nothing to worry about!" She called back. "It's all under control!"

Except it wasn't because she couldn't find him anywhere. She groaned in annoyance. Back in the day, whenever he'd get yelled at or picked on, he had the amazing ability to completely disappear for hours at a time. It probably wasn't that miraculous, given his size.

"Oh lass, where's the little Hiccup?" Gobber asked, seeing her alone already.

"Snotlout brought up the Red Death and he went running. I have no idea where he went."

"Snotlout eh? Well, Hiccup has several hiding places he goes, depending on who picks on him. I think it's…this way…" He beckoned her towards the docks.

"How do you know this?" She asked.

"Easy. I was the one who had to find him for Stoick, or for work. I rarely yelled at him, so I could get him to come out and go back home or to the forge. It was a daily duty."

She frowned. "Daily?"

"Aye. Do you not remember?"

"I…I thought he just got in trouble during the raids."

"No, no, I wish! Between Snotlout and the Twins tormenting him, and Stoick reprimanding him, there was hardly a day where he had any real fun at all."

"Oh my gods…" she winced. "I…I didn't know."

"I don't blame you lass. You were focused on your own stuff."

At this point, they had made it to the cliffs that looked down over the docks. Gobber led her down the ramps about halfway, and then shimmied over to a narrow plank. "Watch yer step."

This part of the ramp wasn't used for actual walking or navigating, it was simply support. The only people who would be over here, were those repairing a collapse, or perhaps dragon damage.

"Ah, just as I thought." Gobber gestured inside the ramp. Two thick beams on both sides, the walkway above, the cliffs in the back, and only a few cross beams to sit on. That was where Little Hiccup had holed himself away.

"How did you get back there?" She asked the shadow.

Hiccup didn't respond, he only sniffled.

"I'll take care of this," said she, weaseling her way to him. It was a tight fit, and the hole went back far, but finally, she reached him. He had drawn his knees in, and hid his face in them.

"You didn't need to come for me." He said. "I can handle yourself."

"I doubt that." She scoffed.

He glared at her with bloodshot eyes and snotty nose. "You and everyone else on this stupid island."

She winced. "That's not what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean? That I'm too weak to swing a sword? That a dragon could kill me with one swipe or one bite? Because I've heard it all before! But I can handle not having to be babysat for five minutes!"

Astrid didn't know how to answer, so she sat beside him. Carefully, she ran a few fingers through his hair and began to braid it.

He sat trembling, whether it was his anger or nerves, she didn't know.

"Listen Hiccup. Berk has changed in the last few years."

"So I noticed..."

"And you are to thank for those changes."

"Great! It's nice to know that I don't change! Always messing things up!"

She pulled on his hair with a tug, shutting him up.

"These changes have been good, Hiccup. I promise. Yes, you have to face a mountain sized dragon, but you don't face it alone. Toothless is with you, and together you defeat it."

"The dragon?"

"Hmm-mmm." She finished one braid and started another. "You lose your leg, but you gain so much confidence and self assurance. Because of your sacrifice, we no longer have to fight the dragons. Instead, they protect and love us."

"Dragons…they can't do that."

"Says who?"

"Everyone! Especially my dad!"

"Your dad does get really mad at you…he disowns you even."

"Well, that sounds like something to look forward to."

"But," she continued. "You prove him wrong. You prove everyone wrong."

He was quiet, and then gave her a doubtful look. "I don't know if I should trust you..." He spoke softly, but honestly.

"Why not?"

"Because my Astrid—er, the Astrid I know in my time...she barely speaks to me. Sure, I see her glance at me sometimes with pity in her eyes, and sometimes she has me work on her axe in the forge...but she would never comfort me. If anything, she'd punch me and tell me to buck up."

Astrid snorted. "That's me."

"So...are you being real right now?"

"Here's a fun story," she said, winding yet another braid. "I was the first one you convinced. You basically kidnapped me and took me on a flight on Toothless. You showed me how great dragons could be, and I supported you through everything after that."

"So...you and I become friends?"

She snickered, "not quite."

He deflated.

She hooked a finger under his chin and turned his face towards hers. "We're betrothed."

"B-B-Betrothed?! But...oh, an arranged marriage?"

"Nope, totally mutual. I love you, Hiccup."

He hid his face in his hands. "I never thought I'd hear those words from you."

"Oh, do you have a little crush on me?"

"No!" He shouted, much too loud, much too obviously. "I mean…you can't ask that!"

"Hiccup, we're all ready together, you can tell me."

He dared to look at her, his face red and his lips tight.

"I promise, nothing bad is going to happen."

He nodded. "Okay…I…havebeeninlovewithyouforyearsbutIknowyoudon'tfeelthesame—"

"Breathe! Hiccup! Gosh, I don't remember you ever being so nervous before. Even back then. You stuttered a lot, but not like this."

He frowned, "sorry…okay. I have been in love with you for…a while. But I know I don't—wouldn't have a chance with you unless I killed a dragon. So…there. I said it."

Astrid smiled brightly and hugged him tightly. "Oh Hiccup, my sweet, silly Hiccup."

Though he still blushed, he hugged her back.

"I kind of always knew. You're not very good at lying."

"I know!" He groaned. "I suck at keeping secrets!"

She pulled away from him and kissed him on the nose. "I'm not going to kiss you on the lips, because you're so much younger than me now, but just know that one day, we will. Soon even."

His blush returned. "This is torture, you know that, right?"

She simply laughed as she patted his back. "Come on, lets go back. And Hiccup?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't take anything Snotlout says too seriously. In our time, he is pretty desperate to impress you."

That stunned him to silence. "What? No…"

"Yes! He'll never admit it out loud, but it's pretty obvious. You're a hero now."

Hiccup sat up a little straighter, evened his chin and said, "about damn time."

—

Big Hiccup had been drawing for the last 45 minutes, as his father went on a tirade about the evils of dragons, how they were the spawn of the most sinister creatures, and how anyone that willfully chose to align themselves with them must be evil themselves.

It almost made him nostalgic.

Almost.

Once finished with his masterpiece, he interrupted his dad's speech. "Look dad, I get it. But, here's a crucial thing you're missing." He handed the sketch over to Stoick, who furrowed his brows at the sight. It had been a few years, but that dragon haunted his dreams. He remembered every scale. "This is the queen of the dragons. I saw her first and when I finally told you about it, you decided to ignore my warnings and take the entire tribe with you to kill it."

"It doesn't look so bad. Pretty ugly, but most dragons are."

"I drew you in there for scale."

Stock scanned the bottom of the page. "Where? I can't see me."

"Exactly."

His eyes widened as he looked to his son. "You mean…this thing is alive right now?"

"Yep, and all the little dragons that you see day to day have to feed her, or else they get eaten instead."

"Oh," Stoick said. "Did you say…that you defeat this monster?"

"Yep, and that's how I lose my leg." This he said with a little smug smirk and a hand on his hip.

"Don't get smart with me, boy." Stoick reprimanded. "I'm still your father and chief."

Hiccup nodded, "sorry, it's just...you change, dad. We change."

"Apparently I become a dragon sympathizer."

Hiccup groaned. How long had they been talking about this? It seemed like forever. He wiped a hand down his face. They were getting nowhere.

"Look," Hiccup began, gesturing with his hands. "I'm just here to get some Algae from the North Swamp. We can argue about this until the yaks come home, but when I leave in three days, everything goes back to normal, and you'll forget all about this little tirade…and do it again in a few months with me anyway. So save your breath."

Hiccup suddenly found himself on the floor, his right cheek stinging.  
"This isn't a joke, Hiccup!" Stoick shouted at him. "Things may be all peachy keen in five years, but today, they aren't. My people, _your_ people are starving, and you have the audacity to sass me? If this dragon exists, we have to kill it! There's no point in waiting if we can end this problem now!"

"See!" Hiccup shouted back, from the floor. "This is what I mean! You're not listening to a word I'm saying! You can't beat the Red Death! You aren't supposed to! It's _my_ fate!"

"You can't do anything right in the first place! Why would I trust you with something like this?!"

This is why Hiccup hadn't wanted to return to this past, when Stoick was close-minded and full of anger. Of course he wouldn't listen to Hiccup, because Hiccup never gave him a reason to listen.

"Fine," said the boy. "I see how it is. But please…there are events that have to happen. Don't change the future because of what I told you. You'll ruin everything."

Stoick scoffed and left the room, leaving Hiccup alone on the floor and feeling very cold.

Part of that was probably attributed to him not wearing a shirt. So he got up, rubbing his throbbing cheek, as he rummaged through his old trunk. He found his largest tunic and tried to put it on.

Obviously, it was too small.

For the rest of the night, Hiccup undid the seams and restitched fabric in the shirt to widen it. After, it was still a little tight, but it fit and he could deal with it.

The day had been exhausting, and so he laid down in his bed and tried to sleep.

It was odd not hearing Toothless' snoring, or the frequent squawks from dragons outside. But then again, in this world, the sound of dragons were an alarm, and it was best to just let it go.

—

It didn't take Little Hiccup long to get comfortable with the future.

In the evening, after Hiccup had been coaxed from his hiding spot, Stoick had beckoned him up to the stairs of the Great Hall, and gathered everyone else in the square.

Already, whispers were forming as folks studied the boy in too-big clothes.

"Friends," Stoick called out, making them hush. "We are fortunate to have within our clan, Gothi, the Healer. She has created a cure for those quarantined up in the Great Hall."

There were several cheers and sighs of relief at this news.

Stoick held up his hands again for silence. "Unfortunately, one of the ingredients no longer exists, and so she has crafted a clever way for us to retrieve it." With no effort at all, he hoisted Little Hiccup to sit on his shoulder. "As you may have noticed, my son is a bit smaller than he used to be. Gothi has taken our Hiccup and replaced him with the Hiccup you all knew 5 years ago. He will remain this way for three days until Older Hiccup returns from the past. All this being said," He gestured at the boy. "This Hiccup hasn't trained Toothless and never fought the Red Death, but he has been told the gist of the situation. Don't try to get dragon advice from him, because he doesn't have it yet. But above all, be patient with him, and treat him like you would now, and not the way you did then."

Hiccup watched as the villagers all smiled at him broadly, sincerely, it was not something he was used to.

Stoick set him back down on the ground. "Boy lad, I haven't picked you up like that in ages. I forgot how small you were."

Hiccup stopped entirely, and just stared at his father. Him being small was a fact of life, wasn't it? The sky was blue, the ocean was salty, and Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was a pint-sized viking. For his father to forget…how big must he get? Taller them then all, is what Astrid said. But there was no way, there was _just no way_.

"Hiccup? You alright, son?" Stoick asked as he stood there in shock.

Elated, Hiccup threw his arms up into the air and proclaimed, "This is the best day of my life!" And he went to run down the stairs, but his leggings dropped mid-step and he tumbled down the stairs.

"Oof!" He landed at the bottom.

So much for being popular and heroic.

Astrid yanked him to his feet easily and blocked everyone's view as he readjusted himself. "Thanks…"

She dusted the dirt from his shirt. "Are you okay? That was quite the tumble."

"I'm okay! I promise!"

Stoick looked down in fondness. Clumsy, gong ho, and chattery, those were traits his son had more prevalently when he was a child. Back then, it just annoyed him, and he even…

Oh gods, he had forgotten about that, too.

There were so many horrible things Hiccup had endured before the Red Death. That really seemed to be his lowest and most desperate place, and yet, Hiccup had never asked for an apology from anyone at that time. All the hurtful words from friends and family were just swept under the rug, and all was fine.

But Stoick made a vow at that moment, to dredge it up. It wouldn't do Hiccup any favors to keep nasty feelings buried any longer.

It seemed like Astrid had the same idea, as she rubbed his head affectionately.

—

When Big Hiccup finally fell asleep, it was only for a few hours, because soon after, there was a vicious roar of a dragon. Then, the village came alive with shouts.

It was a raid.

Of all the times to be sent back, it had to be during a raid. Gods, what was he going to do? Just stay here and not get involved?

No, he couldn't possibly do such a thing! Not if he could help it! He stood quickly, tying his foot into place. Then he patted himself. Gothi had taken his armor, and with it, his journal, knife, compass…but Inferno! It had been on his belt, and was now resting on the bedside table, where he had set it before going to bed. Quickly, he grabbed his sword and raced down the stairs.

Stoick was there, hammer in hand. He was prepared for the fight, and glanced at Hiccup. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm going to help."

Stoick scoffed. " _Help?_ Are you still a stubborn dim-wit in the future? Stay here!"

Hiccup sneered. "Are you serious right now? You need all the help you can get!"

"Not from you!"

Hiccup shook his head. "You used to be such an asshole."

" _Excuse me?_ "

"You're excused." With a huff, he shouldered passed him and into the village. Normally, Hiccup would never speak that way to his father. But past Stoick didn't _know_. He didn't _understand_. He wasn't being logical, or trusting his successor. He wouldn't even listen to him! It was frustrating and made Hiccup's blood boil. He missed the father he knew in the present.

Fires had already broken out over the early morning sky, and Hiccup hurried into the fray. He stopped at the forge first, to grab a shield.

"Gobber, I need a shield."

"One shield coming—…" The Blacksmith dropped it immediately as he stared at him. "Hiccup? Is that…? No…"

"I will explain everything later, just give me the shield!"

Wordlessly, Gobber held out the armor as Hiccup snatched it away.

"Puberty is a magic I will never understand…" He muttered to himself. They he called out after him, "Where do you think you're going!? Come back!"

Hiccup, now with shield, withdrew Inferno and ran towards the loudest squawks and roars. His goal was just to wave the dragon on and keep the townsfolk safe.

He heard a familiar dragon croon; a Nadder, his favorite Nadder, to be precise. Stormfly had landed and had all of her quills out, at the ready.

A young girl was on the ground, a spine in her leg.

Hiccup ran in and threw up the shield just in time to block the next few incoming quills. Then he waved his sword slowly, the flames creating an arch of light.

"Back…back!" He warned.

No doubt about it, this was definitely Stormfly. And if this was the raid he thought it was, then—

A net was cast over her, and she cried in indignation.

As much as he hated it, Hiccup continued his soothing motions. She had to be caught, or else Astrid wouldn't train her in the future.

The Nadder began to calm as she watched the dancing fire. Then, Hiccup reached forward and scratched under her chin. Instantly, she collapsed.

"Oh wow! She fell right to sleep!" A man exclaimed from behind the dragon.

"All the better to kill her!"

"No!" Cried Hiccup.  
The two vikings looked at him in question, obviously not recognizing him. "What? Do you expect us to just let her go?"

"No no...just uh…use her for training?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea…" They were saying to each other.

Hiccup backed away quickly, not wanting to changed anything in the future on accident. But he did look to the injured girl.

But his heart beat a little harder when he realized it was young Astrid. "Uh…are you okay?"

She hissed, "do I look okay?"

He quickly knelt and scoped her up into his arms, "I'm going to take you to Gothi."

"Put me down! I can handle it!"

He held firm and hurried his steps. "Nadder spines are poisonous. You look like you're fairing okay for now, but who knows if that will last."

She had to be fine. His influence in the past so far wouldn't ruin her future, right?

Astrid winced slightly as she was jostled, but didn't fight him anymore. Instead, she rested her arms around his neck to better hold on.

"Sorry…" she whispered. "Thank you. I'm Astrid. I don't think I've seen you before…"

He laughed. "Oh, yes you have. I'm surprised you don't recognize me."

She frowned, her eyebrows pulling together as she looked over his face. "…Hiccup?"

"Surprise!"

"Wha—how—?" She wriggled in his grip, trying to get down. "Put me down before you drop me!"

"I'll only drop you if you keep struggling!" He returned.

"You can barely hold the weapons in the forge! How are you supposed to carry me!?"

"Stop fighting and I'll explain everything!"

Whether it was because it was early morning, or just sheer curiosity, Astrid relaxed and listened to what he had to say.

It was the same story he told Stoick. He was from five years in the future, and he was here to retrieve some algae that didn't exist anymore.

"So you're what Hiccup looks like in five years?"

"Yes."

She was quiet, mulling this over carefully. They were almost at Gothi's now.

"What am I like? Five years from now?"

Hiccup smiled fondly. "You become the most skilled, intelligent, intensely focused, and big hearted warrior on Berk."

She smiled widely. "So do I kill a dragon?"

He winced. "Uh…yeah, yeah you do." It wasn't a total lie, given that she definitely helped kill the Red Death.

"Awesome! What kind?"

 _Rats_. "Uh—let's finish this later, okay?" And he hurried to get to Gothi.

The healer was outside when they arrived, no doubt watching the destruction below and waiting for the idiots to line up. But she was surprised to see Hiccup there, with Astrid of all people in his arms.

"Hi Gothi, Astrid got hit with a Nadder spine."

The old woman nodded and urged him inside. She made no comment about his appearance, not even a second glance.

Following Gothi's instructions, Hiccup carefully removed the spine from her thigh and ease her out of her leggings, Astrid blushed hotly all the while.

"It's okay, Astrid. You need to get this looked at." Then he backed off as Gothi did the rest of the job.

After Astrid was all bandaged, she pulled her leggings back up and tried to stand. But Hiccup was there quickly, and picked her up again.

"The spine's out and I'm fine," she insisted. "Please let me walk."

Gothi on the other hand, did not agree. She simply smacked Astrid with her staff and gave her a hard look. Then she scratched something in the dirt, which Hiccup was able to piece together.

"She says…the spine didn't release it's poisons, but the wound was deep. Try to avoid walking for a while."

Astrid groaned. "Fine…can you take me home then?"

"Oh course, Milady."

Astrid smiled slightly. "Milady? What, do I become chief in the future?"

Hiccup began carrying her down the hill, at a much more leisurely pace. "No, and why are you so interested in the future?"

"Why wouldn't I be!?" She exclaimed. "It's exciting! Tell me more! Am I part of the Berk guard? Am I a legendary dragon killer?"

Hiccup exhaled, hating where this was going. He just had to weave the story carefully. He didn't want another explosion like Stoick. "You're…hm. Let's just say, I'm very much on my way to becoming chief, and you're on your way to becoming my General."

Her mouth dropped open. "You picked me as your general? Wow…"

He smiled. "Who else was I supposed to pick? Snotlout?"

She shrugged. "I mean…if he didn't become chief instead of you, I figured he'd take his dad's place. He's probably pretty sore about that, huh?"

"No, not at all." They had reached the village at this point, and it appeared that the Raid had ended. There was a lot of smoke, but not as many flames. "In fact," Hiccup continued. "Snotlout is one of my close consorts and I trust him with a lot of responsibilities."

Astrid outright laughed. "You have got to be pulling my leg! There's no way you and Snotlout get along, and him? Having responsibilities? Please…"

"Oh, don't think it wasn't a struggle. It takes him a long time to listen to me and do as I ask, but eventually, he sees things my way."

"And what about the others? The twins? Fishlegs?"

"Everyone has their roles. The twins have a knack for pranks and destruction, but I've found if I can channel that talent, then they usually listen to me and spare me from their pranks. Usually." He laughed. "And Fishlegs is very helpful, though he and Snotlout don't always see eye to eye."

"Yeah, that's true now too."

"But they can work together when necessary."

Ironically, Hiccup could hear Fishlegs and Snotlout arguing just around the corner. "I told _you_ to put this building out!"

"Why couldn't you do it yourself!?"

"Because Hoark asked me to put _his_ house out first!"

Astrid wriggled slightly. "Put me down, I'll straighten these numbskulls out."

Hiccup set her on her feet, but kept his arm close for support, though she refused it. Rounding the corner, the two found Young Snotlout and Young Fishlegs battling it out while the baker's shop continued to burn.

"Hey!" Astrid called, limping into action. "Stop fighting each other and start fighting this fire!"

Snotlout scoffed. "And where have you been?"

Hiccup, ever the leader, crossed his arms. "She was injured, because she was doing her job! Now we can argue about this later, but that fire isn't going to put out itself!" And he snagged a bucket abandoned on the ground. Then he turned to Astrid, "don't run." Then he took off.

Snotlout and Fishlegs looked at her. "Who was that?"

She shrugged with a smug little smile, "wouldn't you like to know?"


	3. Chapter 3

I'm putting off writing anything else until this is done, because it's supposed to be short in the first place.

—

Little Hiccup had a nice dinner at home with his father, Gobber, Astrid, and the rest of the riders. He simply ate his fish and just smiled as his friends talked about all the fun adventures they had together. They told him all about the Edge, and the good he was doing out there.

He still din't know how he felt about dragons, though. Sure, Toothless just seemed to love him and stayed firmly at his side the whole time, but to hear that he loved them now and he had changed nearly everyone's mind about them?

It just didn't sit with him right.

"Um…can I say something?" He spoke up, meekly.

"Of course!" Stoick encouraged. "Speak up lad!"

Hiccup nodded and swallowed. "Uh…I don't know…I'm still…I still don't like dragons."

Everyone became quiet at this, and just listened.

"I know that I'm supposed to be the…expert on them, and whatever…but I'm supposed to want to kill them, or I did, yesterday. And I will when I go back."

Stoick laid a hand on his shoulder, which made him tense up. "We understand, son. We don't expect you to be the same Hiccup we know, and we don't want you to change. We…just want to give you something to look forward to."

Little Hiccup sniffed and rubbed under his eyes. "I never thought my future would be so bright." He curled in on himself, "has your Hiccup talked about back then? About my time?"

"No," Astrid said softly. "I've tried to get it out of him, but he doesn't like talking about it."

"Then, maybe I should? Would that be okay?"

Astrid squeezed his knee. "If there's something you need to say, then go right ahead. It's fresh to you, and it'll help you to get it out."

He nodded and swallowed, then he looked at the floor, suddenly shy.

Toothless rested his head on his lap, just content to be near him.

Finally, Hiccup spoke, baring his heart on a platter. "I don't like the way you guys treat me," he began. "Everyday, I try my hardest to fit in, and be like you guys. I know I'm not like the other vikings, but I want to be so badly. But no matter how hard I try, you guys seem to focus on all the stuff I do wrong. I feel like a complete failure, and a waste of space and resources."

"Hiccup, you're not a failure—" Stoick began.

But Hiccup shrugged away from him. "Now you say that!" There were tears in his eyes. "You probably don't remember what you said a few days ago, but it's been clanging around inside my head and…you're right, dad." He looked down to his toes as a tear fell down his cheek.

Stoick swallowed thickly, fearing the worst. "What…what did I say, son?"

Hiccup bit his quivering lip, suddenly wanting to take it all back. "Please don't hit me…"

"I would never—" Oh, but he would. He did. Several times, as his father hit him. But gods, he regretted it. "I promise, I won't."

Hiccup spoke so softly that the few on the other side of the room could barely hear him. "You said that I was the one that killed Mr. and Mrs. Hacksaw, and that I was a curse from the gods. That I was your punishment for not saving mom…and you said it was my fault she had been taken, and you wished I had never been born."

Stoick remembered that. He had been drinking, a common evening habit in those days. Two people had died that day during a dragon raid, and Stoick had to shoulder that burden. Hiccup had gone for water in the well, and ended up breaking the lever at the top, right in the middle of the raid. The fires had been what had killed that couple in their home. In a drunken mind, Stoick found Hiccup too easy to blame.

Hiccup was sobbing, and Stoick had been rendered silent. "You wished that I was the one who had died, so that you could finally be free from me messing up!"

Astrid said nothing, but rested her hand on his back, rubbing it soothingly.

"And you were right! It was my fault! Everyone else said so too—"

The other kids vaguely remembered that day. But more so, their words and actions from that time just seemed like a guilty haze.

Spitelout had told his son that Hiccup had broken the well. In turn, Snotlout told the other kids, and they mercilessly picked on him.

 _Way to go, genius._

 _You're a hazard._

 _I wish the dragons would take you._

 _Go jump off a cliff._

 _For someone so small, you sure do a lot of damage._

 _Why don't you just stay at home, where you can't mess anything up? But I'm sure you'd screw that up too._

 _It's only because you're the chief's son that you haven't been exiled yet. It won't save you forever._

 _Get lost, roach._

 _You shouldn't be allowed to eat. You don't deserve rations._

Astrid just sat quietly, doing her best to console him. She remembered that raid too, and despite Snotlout's badgering, she never said a word to him. Her parents had trained her well enough to be nice to Hiccup, as he was the chief's son. But if it was too hard to be nice, she just didn't say anything. Which meant many months of silence.

Gobber's gut churned. He remember vaguely telling Hiccup to get up and get over it. _He didn't mean it, lad. He's just mad at the situation._ But that hadn't really been much of a consolation. He just wanted Hiccup to get back to work.

"And if I hadn't come here…I would have—" He stopped himself, biting back a sob.

"What?" Urged Stoick, his heart in his throat. "What were you going to do?" Though he had a feeling he already knew.

"I was going to kill myself."

Stoick stood suddenly and scooped his son into his arms, and began wailing. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" He cried, nearly crushing him. "I'm so sorry Hiccup…I had no idea."

Hiccup just clung to his father and wept into his shoulder.

The others in the room were in various states of distress and guilt.

Finally, Hiccup pushed away from Stock slightly and wiped his face with his sleeve. "Thank you…"

Stoick kissed his forehead. "No, thank you for telling me. For telling all of us."

Snotlout spoke up. "Man, I am so sorry for all of that—"

"Me too!"

"And me!"

"And also me!"

Snotlout rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't hate you, as much as it seemed like I did…I had some…personal beef I was dealing with. And making you feel like crap was how I felt better. I'm sorry, you didn't deserve my insults or my poundings."

Hiccup managed a small smile. "Thanks Snotlout. That means a lot."

Astrid came over and crouched so she was eye-level with him. Then she delicately brushed the bangs from his face. "You are so brave, Hiccup. By telling all of us this, you just did something really helpful for your future self."

He blushed slightly as she cupped his cheek.

"You'll forget what you saw here, that you were ever in the future, but I pray that the relief we give you stays and you grow strong. It's going to be rough going back, but you have some important battles to face soon."

"I know," he said resolutely. Though, Hiccup had other things in mind.

He wasn't going back, not if he could help it.

—

The fire was extinguished, Big Hiccup doing most of the work.

"Gods this was so much easier with dragons," he muttered to himself as he dropped the bucket on the ground.

"This wouldn't have happened if you just did what I said," said Fishlegs to Snotlout, starting everything all over again.

Hiccup groaned, "guys! It doesn't matter who's responsible! If you see something that needs to be done, do it!"

"But I couldn't!" Protested Fishlegs, "I was putting out another fire!"

"And I was fighting a dragon!"

"We're not allowed to fight dragons!"

"Stop!" Hiccup shouted, catching their attention. "Snotlout, if someone asked you to do something, why didn't you do it?"

"Because I'm not listening to Fishface! And I'm listening to some stranger that starts yelling at me! Who are you anyway!?"

Hiccup smirked. "You really don't know?"

"You kinda look like my shrimp cousin Hiccup, but you're clearly too tall to be him."

"What if you aged him by five years?" Astrid posted.

Snotlout made a box with his fingers and closed one eye. "Hmm…maybe? Though I doubt Hiccup could ever get that tall."

Hiccup gave him a blank look. "Snotlout, I am Hiccup, from five years in the future. Gothi sent me here."

"What?!" Snotlout shouted. "Why would she do a thing like that?"

"Because, we're making a medicine and we're short an ingredient, something that's not in the future anymore." He was beginning to feel like a broken record.

"Okay, but why you? Surely, I'm a better pick. I should probably follow you and make sure you don't screw this up and get everyone killed."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. Good ole Snotlout. "Thanks, but I'll be fine."

"What in blue blazes—!?" Stoick's voice cut off the argument as he and the baker stared at the husk that used to be the baker's house. "Hiccup! I told you to stay inside! What did you do!?"

"ME!? I'm the one that put this out!"

"Then who's responsible for this!?"

Astrid and Hiccup pointed at Snotlout, while Fishlegs and Snotlout pointed at each other.

The chief started yelling. It wasn't even words. He was just red in the face and yelling obscenities while throwing his fists around.

Just like old times.

"Hiccup!" He finally spat out.

"Yes sir," Hiccup answered, with no sass this time.

"You, and you, and you, and you." He pointed to the four teens assembled. "Go take a hike!"

"But Astrid—"

"GO!" He bellowed, and lumbered off without a word.

"What did you do?" Asked Astrid.

"He was born," laughed Snotlout.

"Alright," Hiccup said, clapping his hands. "Who's up for a camping trip?"

—

The next morning, Little Hiccup awoke with a smile. He looked over to the sleeping dragon across the room and sang, "good morning Toothless!"

The Nightfury looked up him with a blink. It wasn't often that Hiccup was this active in the morning.

He hopped up and got dressed, tying the pants tightly around his small waist, and tucking the access fabric into his boots.

He skipped down the stairs, finding Stoick sitting by the fire.

"You're up early."

"I couldn't sleep," Hiccup tried to shrug casually. "I was too excited to spend the day with you and my new friends."

Stoick gave him a broad smile. "Well son, we'll have a nice breakfast together for sure, but then I'll have some chiefing to do. Since there's so many people sick, some of the winter preparations fell to the wayside. But I'll be back for dinner."

Hiccup grinned, he was actually counting on that. "That's okay! I understand."

Stoick placed a warm, gentle hand on the back of his head. "Are you doing okay, son? You gave me a good fright last night."

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay now. Astrid was right, just talking about it made me feel better."

"Alright then. If any thoughts like that come up in the future, you just make sure to tell me, okay?"

Hiccup doubted he'd ever feel that way again. "I promise."

Stoick smiled back, but heard his young son's voice in his head. A memory that haunted him from years ago. A sentence that had quelled his anger and strengthened his patience.

 _I don't want to live anymore._

"What do you feel like? I've made some toast and some eggs…"

After Stoick left, Little Hiccup made his way back upstairs and began to sift through his belongings.

He came to find the leggings he was currently wearing belonged to Astrid, as his older self's pants were even bigger and missed a third of the leg on the left side. Hiccup winced at the sight. So he had one pair of leggings for the night. That was fine, he'd deal. A clean tunic, a cask of water, some bread and dried yak jerky...this would work.

His room had changed a lot in five years. In fact, one half of the room was completely taken up by a slate rock, where Toothless was currently laying and watching him. He used to have a lot of great drawings about dragon slaying on his walls, but they were gone, replaced with schematics for what looked like a dragon tail and some other foreign ideas. One looked like a sword.

He glanced back at Toothless. Something had changed his mind along the way. Something had made him decide to betray his tribe and befriend a dragon.

Though, given how he had left things at home with his father, betrayal didn't seem that far-fetched. But then he killed a dragon, and now he's a hero.

There seemed to be too many holes in Astrid's story.

Leaving behind these confusing thoughts, he dug out his knapsack and began to pack. Tonight, he'd sleep here at the house, but in the early morning, he'd sneak out and hide until the next day. That way, they wouldn't be able to send him back!

But first, he'd need to find a good hiding spot.

Before he could even consider it, the front door opened and Astrid called out, "Hiccup?"

He quickly threw the pack under his bed as he heard her coming up the stairs. "Uh uh uh just a minute!"

She came into his room anyway, as she always did. "Hey!"

"Hey! Hi! How—how are you?"

"I'm good, Stoick said you were up, so I thought I'd come get you. We didn't really get the chance to take a tour through the village, and I know a lot of people want to talk to you—"

He paled. "Uh, yeah sounds…sounds great."

Astrid picked up on it immediately. "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing…nothing's wrong. Honest!"

Toothless stood from his spot and stretched, then he trotted over and nudged Hiccup's knapsack out from under the bed.

"Oh! Hey, what's that?" He feigned.

"Hiccup, no matter what age, you are a terrible liar."

"I…I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You don't want to go back to the past, do you?"

Hiccup set his mouth into a tight line and avoided looking at her.

"Look, I don't blame you, especially with what you said last night…but you have to go back! I need _my_ Hiccup back."

Hiccup sneered out of habit. "Why? What's so different? In a few years, I'll look like him! Is it just because you hate seeing the way I used to be? You hate seeing the Hiccup who was a useless waste of space!?"

Astrid raised her voice, "shut up!"

Hiccup recoiled, wincing heavily and curling in on himself.

Bracing for a hit.

Instead, Astrid rested a hand on his arm, and then moved down to take his hand. "Come with me."

Hiccup nodded minutely, and followed.

Together, they travelled up the steps to the Great Hall. Astrid only let go to pull open the doors and then took his hand again.

Inside, two dozen or so vikings laid out on cots. The room smelled, as buckets sat next to the occupied beds. He could hear disgusting coughing and moaning. Still, he followed her to the corner of the room.

Finally, Astrid came to stop in front of a pair of beds, occupied by her parents. They were both asleep, but gods they looked awful.

"Do you remember why we brought you here in the first place? My Hiccup has to get an ingredient for Gothi's medicine. Without it…they'll probably…"

Now Hiccup felt guilty, and extremely angry. But all he was able to do was ball up his fists and tremble.

"Alright, lets talk." She urged him out of the Hall.

Outside, she sat on the step and patted the seat next to her. He complied, dropping without grace and winding up into an anxious ball.

"I don't get it." He finally said.

"What? I thought I was pretty clear…"

"No no…" He groaned. "Why would _I_ go? Why send _me_ back? I..." His lips curled into a snarl as he sprang out of his ball. "I don't owe these people anything! All they ever did was ridicule me! I don't know why I would willingly choose to go into battle with a ferocious dragon just for this stupid village! You said it yourself! My father disowns me and I befriend a dragon! So why, _why_ would I risk my neck back then, and now?!"

Astrid leaned back, crossing her ankles. She seemed unperturbed by his outburst. "I've wondered that myself the last few years. And I'm sure Big Hiccup figured this all out already." She gave him a disarming smile, to try to calm his anger.

It didn't completely work, but he wasn't yelling anymore.

"Perhaps I should start from the beginning. About 4 and a half years ago, you shot a Nightfury out of the sky."

This was surprising, to say the least. "What? I did?"

"That Nightfury was Toothless. You shot him out of the sky, and you ripped his left tail fin off."

"Toothless is a—I did…how?"

"You had some sort of machine, I think it was called The Mutilator."

"Ha! So it works!"

Astrid frowned.

"Sorry, go on."

"Anyway…you told me that you found him in the woods later that day, wrapped up in a bola, presented for you to kill on a platter."

"But I didn't…" Hiccup finished.

"You did not."

Hiccup merely gave a soft sigh.

"Whatever it was, you cut him loose. But his tail was damaged, so he wasn't going to make it on his own. So, you set out to build him a new tail."

"And…when did I get disowned? When I cut him loose?"

"No, Stoick didn't know about it. No one believed you when you said you shot down the Nightfury."

"That's the first part of this story that makes sense." He droned.

She smacked him on the arm, not enough to hurt. "Anyway…while you were studying and training Toothless, you started to pick up on things. Nuisances. And during dragon training, you used what you learned to subdue the dragons in the Kill Ring, and shot up to the top of the class."

"Cheating without getting caught is still cheating."

"And that's what made me mad." She added with a grin. "I was convinced you were cheating, so I followed you into the woods. When I found the cove where you hid Toothless, I waited to surprise you with my axe. But in the wait time…" She paused for a moment, going back to the day in her head. "You were calling out for him, and you said you were leaving Berk forever. At that moment, even at the height of popularity, you decided to run. Granted, you had been picked to kill the Monstrous Nightmare…"

"Yeah, running sounds like the smart thing to do."

"But I threatened to out you to the tribe, so you…kind of kidnapped me…which worked out in the end, because I came to understand you. But, that flight was interrupted when we found the Red Death. Just this…huge dragon that consumed everything."

At this point, Hiccup was sitting again and leaned towards her, listening intently. Unbeknownst to them, several others were listening as well, curious about how all this had really happened.

"You knew that we had to do something about it, but not if it meant harming Toothless. So…you decided that the middle of the Fight was the best time to renounce your viking ways."

"Oh boy…"

"And _that's_ when Stoick disowned you. He took Toothless as a guide and with the entire tribe, they set sail to the Nest."

Hiccup groaned. "And then what?"

"You and I watched them sail off, knowing that we'd never see them again. And at that moment, you said you wished you had killed Toothless. I asked why you didn't…you looked me in the eye and said 'I looked at him, and I saw myself.'"

"Well, what does that mean?"

"Perhaps you saw how vulnerable he was. How trapped and alone...and how he was resigned to death."

"Oh…"

"So then, you decided to risk it all. We semi-trained the dragons in the arena and flew off to save the village. You killed the Red Death and lost your leg, but you've been hailed as a hero ever since." She rested a hand on the back of his neck, playing with his hair.

"But I still had to kill a dragon."

She shrugged. "Well, Stoick seemed a lot more forgiving when you just came to save him. He said he was proud of you."

Hiccup gasped slightly, and then in a voice much too small he asked, "he was proud of me?"

"Yes." She kissed his forehead. "And so was I."

He considered all of this heavily, and then glanced back at the Hall. "Okay. I'll go back."


	4. Chapter 4

We've spent some time with Little Hiccup, how about Big Hiccup?

—

Big Hiccup stopped at home quickly to collect some supplies, including an empty inkwell to collect the algae. The sooner he got the ingredient, the sooner he could hide in his room until tomorrow evening. It would be an overnight trip, he concluded. The algae was only visible in the dark after all.

And without Toothless, it would be a hefty hike there and back anyway.

With his pack over his shoulder, Hiccup made his way downstairs. Stoick was sitting at the fire, eating breakfast. They just stared at each other before Stoick finally spoke. "Where are you going?"

"To the Northern Swamp. I have to get the algae, remember? I'll be gone overnight."

Stoick frowned, but didn't protest. "Alright. Just be careful, okay?"

Hiccup smiled softly. It took them five years, but they had finally built a strong, warm, and open relationship. This Stoick just didn't know how to talk to someone who wasn't a 'viking'. But he was still a dad, and he still loved his boy.

So Hiccup stepped up, hugged him around the neck, and said. "No worries, I'll be fine."

Stoick seemed startled at the sign of affection, but Hiccup just kept on smiling, waved, and headed out the door.

What greeted him outside, however, perplexed him.

Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Thornston twins, and Astrid with a crutch all stood waiting for him.

"What're you guys doing?"

"You said we were going on a camping trip." Snotlout offered. "So we went home and packed. I got twiddle dee and twiddle dumb to come too."

"Whoa…" Said Tuffnut, immediately encroaching on his personal space. "You're so tall…did Stoick just grab you by the arms and legs and pull?"

Hiccup sighed, and repeated his mantra. "No, I'm Hiccup from five years in the future. Gothi took past Hiccup and traded him with me, because I need to collect some algae, that no longer exists on Berk, for some medicine."

"Oh, that makes total sense." Tuff said with a casual shrug. "You know, when Ruff and I were 10, she fell out of a tree and snapped her spine. Gothi pulled the old switcher-oo and had me stop her from climbing the tree that day. It's a pretty handy trick."

"Wait wait wait…she's done this before?"

Tuff shrugged. "Only with me, as far as I knew."

"And you remember it?"

"Yeah? Why wouldn't I?"

"Gothi said that I don't remember going to the future."

"Oh yeah, I don't remember that either. But I remember going into the past and tying Ruffnut up so she didn't break her back."

"That's why you did that!?" Ruff shouted. "Aw man, now I feel guilty for farting on your face while you were sleeping…"

So Hiccup would remember this trip when he returned. Perhaps there was still something here for him that Gothi wanted him to see.

"Are we going or what?" Asked Astrid, impatiently.

"Are you sure you can?" Hiccup asked, concerned. "Gothi didn't want you walking—"

"I can handle it!" She hissed, with a redness on her cheeks.

"Well, I'm carrying your bag, at least." He grabbed for it.

" _I can handle it!_ " She hissed again, louder this time.

"I know you can, but I want to help you. We do this stuff for each other all the time in the future." He pulled her bag off her shoulder. "You'll get me back, I promise."

Astrid huffed and looked away with a blush.

Without another word, Hiccup headed out towards the woods, gesturing for the others to follow.

Fishlegs caught up to him quickly. "So, when you said 'we do this stuff for each other all the time in the future' does that mean we're all friends?"

Hiccup gave Fishlegs a little grin. "Sure does. We even start our own little community. A place called The Edge, miles and miles south of Berk."

"We leave Berk?" Astrid asked with a little gasp.

"Not forever. In fact, we just returned back when I was sent here. But I convinced my dad to let us go, you know, teenage freedom and all that."

"So what do we do at this 'Edge'?" Asked Snotlout, with more sarcasm in his tone then necessary.

"Good question! We study dragons. Dragons and all the different groups of people we meet that far south."

"We just study them? You mean like, we kill them and then dissect them?"

The vivid image popped into his head as he violently answered, "No!"

The group recoiled.

"I mean…we just…study them."

"Do we at least study how to better kill them?" Asked Fishlegs.

Hiccup stopped walking. They were quite a good distance into the woods now, and no one from the village would hear them. "We…we don't kill dragons anymore. There's no need to."

"What do you mean there's no need?" Asked Astrid, using the opportunity to sit on a boulder.

"I mean…" he sighed. He couldn't imagine this going over well. "I mean they don't raid us anymore. They did for a while, to feed this huge dragon queen…but then I killed it. I lost my legs, and Berk won it's freedom."

The group was quiet before Snotlout burst out into laughter. "Hahaha! If you're going to make up stories to make you seem cooler, at least make them believable! What, are you and Astrid betrothed, too?" He dissolved into more laughter.

But Hiccup simply stood there, with a smug smile on his face and waited.

Eventually, Snotlout stopped his laughing, and noticed Hiccup's face. "Wait…"

He only smiled, winked, and continued on.

"Wait are you serious!? Come on man!"

—

Little Hiccup and Astrid were at the cove. They had flown together on Toothless while Stormfly followed along.

"Why are we out here in the middle of nowhere?" Hiccup asked, looking around the rather big bay.

"Because, this is where I first met Toothless. You and I come here sometimes…mostly when you're overwhelmed with village life or chiefing duties."

Hiccup climbed to sit up on the large boulder near the water. "It's nice, peaceful." He amended. "Hey Astrid?"

"Hmm?" She asked, joining him.

"How long have we been together?"

She smiled fondly. "About six months now."

"Oh, that's not very long…"

"No, not really," she agreed. "But we've been dancing around each other for years now. Ever since…"

"The Red Death?" He questioned.

"Yeah. I brought you back to Berk after you lost your leg, and I was…worried. Seeing you wounded and bleeding like that…I thought I was going to lose you, and that's when I realized I felt more for you than just camaraderie."

His ears burned. "Oh."

"So I kissed you when you woke up."

"Y-Y-You did?" His voice cracked.

She grinned at him in amusement. It was fun seeing Hiccup flustered like this again. "Yep, and a few times after, too. But when we actually became a couple…" She told the story of the lightning strike and how she had gone blind. How he had bravely taken care of her while she couldn't see, and assured her that everything would be okay. She told him with a blush how he had almost kissed her in the woods, but they were interrupted…only for them to finally kiss at sunset after she was healed.

Hiccup listened with a red face an a dopey grin. "I'm so smooth in the future…"

She cackled. "No you're not, not by a long shot."

He frowned.

—

Big Hiccup and the gang reached the Northern Swamp at sunset.

"Okay, so if we don't kill dragons anymore, then what do we do with them?" Snotlout had been relentlessly badgering Hiccup for answers, and Hiccup delighted in one word answers with a smug grin.

He dropped he and Astrid's packs on the ground. "Here. We'll make camp here."

"How do you know what the algae looks like?" Asked Fishlegs.

"Good question, Fishlegs. The algae is bioluminescent, so we'll see it when night falls."

Snotlout frustratedly dropped his own pack on the ground and started to violently set up a little tent.

"Bio-luma-scent?" Tuff asked, his nose upturned. "What does that mean?"

"It means it glows in the dark." Hiccup provided, as he began to set up his own tent.

"Okay, will you answer my question now!?" Snotlout nearly shouted. "We don't fight dragons anymore, but—?"

Hiccup gave a proud smile. "We ride them."

The teens all stared at him, slack jawed.

"Really?"

"Really really."

Snotlout was in his face suddenly, stars in his eyes. "What do I ride?! Please say its something cool!"

"You ride a Monstrous Nightmare named Hookfang."

On occasion, when Snotlout was extremely happy, he would dance. It wasn't something he was proud of, but the excitement in his body would just make him shimmy. And that's precisely what he was doing now.

"Fishlegs, you ride a Gronckle named Meatlug."

Fishlegs smiled, but Snotlout started giggling incessantly. "A Gronkle? You'd crush the poor thing!"

Hiccup so badly wanted Hookfang here at this moment. That dragon was so good about reprimanding Snotlout when he sold something mean, it wasn't even funny. So Hiccup just shrugged. "And you, Snot, get your butt set on fire more often then not."

The dancing ceased at Snotlout frowned. "Shut up, Hiccup."

"Me next!" Cried Tuffnut. "What do I ride?"

"You and Ruff both ride on a Hideous Zippleback, named Barf and Belch."

"Aw, I share a dragon with my stupid sister? Not cool…"

"But you each get your own head, with it's own firepower." Hiccup tried to placate, though the arguing continued.

Astrid had set up her tent without a word, and now sat on a log nearby, with her injured leg stretched out in front of her. "Dare I ask what I ride?"

"You ride Stormfly, a blue Deadly Nadder. You are probably the fastest and well-trained riders out of the village, behind me, of course." He said, a little haughtily.

"Oh yeah? And what do you fly? A Terrible Terror?" Snotlout guffawed.

"Oh haha." Hiccup said, blandly. "Actually, I ride—"

Their little chat was cut short by a roar of a dragon nearby, and everyone froze.

Astrid reached for her axe, but Hiccup held out a hand to stop her. "Everyone, stay calm, and don't raise your weapons."

"You're trying to kill us!" Snotlout accused. "I knew we shouldn't have come with you!"

But Hiccup hushed him again. The dragon called out again, louder, and a tingle went down Hiccup's spine. He knew that roar like his own voice. But it was not a fuzzy feeling to hear it now, in the past.

A whistling sound echoed for a moment, and all was still.

"What was that?" Astrid asked.

"It sounded like a Nightfury…" Fishlegs answered.

"He's here," Hiccup provided. "Just stay calm and quiet."

From the other side of the river came rustling in the bushes. Despite Hiccup's instructions, everyone was on edge as they stared at the moving leaves.

Finally, a black dragon sauntered out, shaking it's head sleepily. He trotted over to the river and drank the water.

"What is _that_?" Astrid asked, in a shocked whisper.

"That's my Nightfury," Hiccup responded with warmth. "But he's not friendly yet, so I suggest we all mind our own business."

The dragon had quenched it's thirst, and then looked at the little camp, tilting it's head.

"Hiccup! He's looking at us!" Snotlout whisper-shouted.

"I know, I know…it's probably curious why we haven't started attacking yet."

"What do we do!?" Ruffnut cried, almost too loud.

The Nightfury perked up at the sound.

"SSShhhh!" Hiccup scolded. "Not so loud. He doesn't see us as a threat yet, so he's not going to hurt us. But he won't stay there forever."

It's like the Nightfury could hear him, and decided to defy him. With a great show of protest, the Nightfury wound up his tail and plopped his rear on the ground. Then he stretched out and rested his head on his paws, watching them.

"Great. We're dead." Snotlout threw his hands up.

"No, we're not. His pupils are wide and his earflaps are relaxed. He's just watching us."

"But you said—"

"He's not trained, is what I meant. My Toothless would never hurt anyone, but we can't try our luck with him now."

"Toothless?" Asked Tuff. "What kind of dumb name is that?"

"He has retractable teeth, the name just stuck." Hiccup glanced back at the dragon, who watched them with wide, curious eyes. He didn't look too different from the future. His earflaps were a little shorter now, and there weren't as many scars on him.

But of course, he had two tail fins. It was jarring, since Hiccup had never seen him with both in tact.

Astrid watched Hiccup get lost in thought. Though the future he spoke of was far-fetched, she couldn't help but believe him. Something in the way he looked at that dragon spoke volumes.

He knew it, maybe even better than he knew himself.

Finally, he turned back to the group. "We should probably find some firewood."

"Nah uh, I'm not moving while that dragon is watching us!" Protested Snotlout.

"Fine." Hiccup 'hmph'ed, standing.

"I'll come with you." Astrid stood.

"No no no, you've done enough walking today, Milady."

She scowled at him.

"But…if you're up for it…"

Astrid smiled smugly as she followed him.

"Wait! Don't leave us!" Fishlegs called.

"We're not going far!" Astrid rolled her eyes. "Just be cool, like Hiccup said."

"Imagine. Actually listening to Hiccup. We must be insane."

—

It was late night on Berk, and Stoick was just about to go to bed. Tomorrow, Little Hiccup would be leaving, and he'd get his other son back. But now, there was a real fear in facing Big Hiccup again. He swore to apologize for his behavior back then…but who knew how he would react to it?

Carefully and quietly, Stoick climbed the stairs to the loft where Hiccup slept.

Little Hiccup was sound asleep, cuddled in his blankets and furs.

There were some nights, if he was being honest, when Stoick would come up to watch Hiccup sleep. As a child, he had watched because Gothi had worried about his size. He was just so small and sickly…the chances of him making to adulthood were slim.

And after the Red Death incident, Stoick was even more worried about his wounds. It wasn't until the last few years that he had stopped checking in on him.

Stoick leaned in and kissed his son on the head, and then retreated to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Camp was still in sight. Astrid and Big Hiccup had wandered away from the stream, over to where there were more trees. Astrid brought her axe with her, and found a small dying tree to chop down.

"Here, let me." Hiccup began, reaching for the handle of the axe.

"Stop it! Stop smothering me!" She shrieked.

Hiccup withdrew quickly and silently began to pick up little sticks for kindling.

A few chops later, and the tree fell, and Astrid began to cut it up into smaller pieces. "I don't need anyone looking after me." She said suddenly, vehemently.

"I know you don't." Hiccup offered, "but I worry about you."

"Why?" She pressed, meeting his gaze. "You never worried about me before. We've never really _talked_ before. Is what Snotlout said earlier…true? Are you and I…betrothed?"

"Yes," he answered plainly and truthfully.

Astrid was quiet for a while, then offered, "Is it arranged?"

"No, it's mutual. We…really like each other."

She sighed, her shoulders relaxing. "That's good then. I was hoping…that I wasn't forced into being someone's house wife…but if I choose it, and you become chief…that can't be too bad, right?"

Hiccup smiled at her and came closer, then he took her hand a pressed a delicate kiss on her knuckles. "You're my best friend, Astrid. And I only have your best interest at heart. Even if we are betrothed, we're moving slowly just enjoying our lives together."

Astrid managed a little smile as she blushed. "That sounds nice." Then she frowned, "But I hope you get your act together before you try to get anywhere near me."

He grinned and swooped in to kiss her cheek.

She flushed bright red and froze in place.

"Sorry," Hiccup giggled, "it's a habit."

"It-it-it's okay." She stuttered back.

"Trade you?" He held out the armful of twigs he collected. She took them gratefully while he stacked the logs on top of each other. Then they returned to camp.

The teens left behind at the site and all huddled together, facing Toothless with horrified looks on their faces.

Toothless looked totally and utterly relaxed. His eyes were half closed, amusement dancing over his dragon face.

"What took you so long!?" Snotlout hissed.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "We were gone for five minutes." He set the logs on the ground and set them up in a little cone shape, and put the twigs in the center. "Toothless, if you would?" He spoke to the Nightfury.

The dragon audibly scoffed at him.

"Oh right," Hiccup chuckled. "You've never met me before." With a little melancholy, he took out Inferno and scraped the Monstrous Nightmare gel from the blade onto the wood, and then ignited it.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" Fishlegs asked, relaxing a little now that Hiccup was back.

"Oh, Monstrous Nightmare gel." He answered simply. "Snotlout gets really good at farming it."

Snotlout sat up a little straighter with something akin to pride. "Oh I do, do I?"

The group seemed to relax and chat idly as the sun set. Hiccup noticed a lot of things in this time. One was that Snotlout was even more obnoxious than in the future. He constantly shut Fishlegs down and tried to suck up to Astrid and even Hiccup now. No doubt, if he was his younger self, he would have been pushed in the river by now.

If he had even been invited with the group.

"You good?" Astrid asked with a nudge.

Hiccup hummed affirmative, and then replied, "I'm just worry about my younger self. The Hiccup that you all know."

"Ugh, Hiccup the Useless, you mean?" Snotlout groaned.

"Yes! That's exactly what I mean. Gods, I wished you all would remember all of this when I went back…or at least this one thing."

"What one thing?" Astrid asked.

"Ease up on him." He begged. "He's in a dangerous place right now."

"Yeah, he's gotten real close to dooming the village," Snotlout scoffed.

"I understand," Astrid said quickly, picking up on his tone. "I'm going to try, try to remember that." She said, earnestly. "If everything you've said about the dragons is true, we can't lose him. We can't lose you."

At this point, the sun had set, and the world around them began to grow dark. Hiccup nodded at Astrid and stood, glancing at the water. As it rippled against the rocks, it began to glow. The algae was lighting up in the dark.

"Ah!" Hiccup exclaimed, seeing the little lights. "Here we are!"

"Oh wow," Astrid murmured, looking over. "That's awesome!"

The assembled teens all rushed over to see the mystery of nature and gawk at it's wonder. Eventually, this devolved into a dare to eat them, and then Tuffnut getting his head dunked into the mudding bank.

Hiccup took out his empty inkwell and dipped it in the water. He worked carefully, trying to fill it up with as much algae as possible.

Finally, he corked it and sighed. "Well, all that's left is to go home tomorrow."

"Wait, that's it?" Asked Snotlout.

"That's it. Thanks for coming out here with me guys."

"Yeah, whatever. Do you have any more stories about how cool future me is?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. Though he had seen the differences, some things never changed.

—

Little Hiccup stood in Gothi's hut, surrounded by Stoick, Gobber, and Astrid.

"Well," he began. "This is it."

Astrid knelt beside him, to meet him at eye level. "If there is one thing you could remember, one thing you could take back with you, make sure it's that we love you. Okay?"

He nodded once and wiped under his eye. "I still don't want to go back."

"Aye lad, but you're so strong for it! Doing what's right, even when you don't want to, that's the mark of a true man!" Stoick raised his fist.

Hiccup smiled a little. "A man!" He put his hands on his hips, only for his pants to fall down. "I can't wait to get my clothes back."

Gothi stirred the concoction, the water turning a glowing purple. She beckoned him over with a crooked finger.

Hiccup shimmied out of his clothes, being that he arrived naked in the first place, and stood in front of the old woman. She drew the sigil on his chest and forehead again, and urged him to get in the tub.

"Well, see you all in five years!"

And Gothi shoved him under the water.

As her arm was still in the tub, her eyebrows wrinkled in worry, before she yanked up a much older, much familiar looking Hiccup. He panted from his little swim, and glanced up. "Astrid! Dad! Gobber! Oh Thank gods!"

He struggled a bit to stand, as his leg slipped on the floor of the tub, but he got out anyway, dripping water all over the floor. He held out the inkwell to Gothi. "Just as promised, North Swamp Flightmare Algae."

"Well done, son!" Stoick praised.

"Dad…" Hiccup sighed and rushed over to hug him. "I missed you."

The chief was startled by the comment. "What? Was I not in the past?"

"No…not really." Hiccup said, cryptically. "You were…but you were…angrier, sadder…filled with hate."

Stoick nodded sagely. "I see what you're saying. Well, I missed you too."

Astrid waltzed up. "So, did you have a fun time with young Astrid?"

Hiccup sighed. "You used to be such a bitch."

She hit him, but couldn't help but burst out laughing. "That's basically what Little Hiccup said!"

Hiccup snagged her around the waist and pulled her into a loving kiss. When he pulled away, he had a coy little grin on his cheeks. "But past you wasn't totally disgusted at the prospect of marrying me."

"It was about the power. And yes, I did think about it."

Gothi cleared her throat and crossed her arms.

"Alright, we're leaving." Gobber huffed. "Stubborn old goat."

As the others piled out, Hiccup approached Gothi, thoughtful. "Gothi?"

She glanced at him, her eyes calculating.

"Thank you. I saw what you meant. I needed this. And I think my past self did too."

She nodded once, and then waved him off.

—

Little Hiccup broke the surface of his tub at home. He panted heavily, as he had been holding his breath.

"You okay in there son?" Stoick called from the other room.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hiccup replied. He sighed, relaxing against the back of the tub. Just then, when he was underwater, he had a thought. A strange thought, about the future. But just as he considered it, it was gone.

Just a silly little daydream, after all. No way it was real.

Hiccup finished his bath and dressed for bed. Then, he approached his mountainous father, who was sitting at the table, drinking as he always did in the evening.

"Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you come tuck me in, and tell me a story?" He hadn't asked for a story in years, but just for a moment, he wanted some love.

"Aren't you a little old for bedtime stories?" Stoick asked, his tone short.

Hiccup hunched his shoulders. "Yeah, you're right, I just…" He didn't finish his sentence, just sighed and went up to bed.

He laid awake for what felt like hours. His chest hurt. There was a gaping hole in his heart that felt like he was bleeding internally.

Tomorrow would be another day, long, agonizing, and filled with misery. A lonely day of pointing fingers and harsh words. He couldn't take this any longer! Each night, he swore he would end it, but he never followed through. He always lost the nerve. Not tonight.

Hiccup threw off his blankets and stood, rifling through the items on his desk. He had stolen it earlier and hidden it away.

His father's dagger.

He wasn't supposed to have weapons, and he wondered if his dad could see the desperation in him.

Little Hiccup gripped the handle tightly, the blade shaking in his trembling hands. It would be so easy…He swiped the blade across his palm. With almost no effort, the dagger cut and he began to bleed.

So he raised it up to his neck, feeling the tip resting on his throat. All he had to do was push…push…

But he was so scared. Suicides didn't get into Valhalla, it wasn't honorable…but it wasn't likely that he'd get an honorable death any other way…Would it hurt? Or would he be gone in a instant?

Tears slipped from his eyes as he held the knife steady. He could do this!

"Hiccup!"

Stoick's voice jolted him and he dropped the dagger with a clatter.

Father and son looked at each other, speechless. Hiccup only took in the red face and the heaving shoulders and fell backwards on his rear.

"I was just—I didn't—I only—…" Hiccup stuttered as he scooted away into a corner. "I'm sorry…" he finally whispered.

"What were you doing…?" Stoick's steps were slow and so so careful. "Hiccup…?"

"I-I-I was…" He couldn't lie. There was nothing to lie about. Stoick saw him. He knew exactly what he stopped. Hiccup started to sob and curled up into a little ball. "I'm sorry…"

Stoick couldn't speak, his throat constricted and dry.

Hiccup gasped out a breath, and then finally admitted. "I don't want to live anymore."

Utterly dejected, Stoick fell to his knees in front of his broken son. "Oh Hiccup…"

Hiccup couldn't fight or argue or insist. All he could do was cry. Cry and apologize. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Stoick finally got some sense and scooped his son up into his arms. He pet his hair, and rubbed his back and just hushed him softly, just as he did when he was an infant.

Finally, when sobs became hiccups, Stoick spoke. "Once upon a time, there was a very mighty viking named Hiccup…"

—

Nighttime descended on Berk, and Big Hiccup was relaxing at a bonfire with his family. The medicine had been successfully mixed and administered, and soon, folks would be getting up and walking around.

But for now, the panic of the illness was gone, and Big Hiccup was home.

Everyone was so excited to tell him about the shenanigans they got into with Little Hiccup. Astrid bragged about her revenge on him from their first flight, and Hiccup had laughed outright.

Then, things got quiet. They all felt it, the topic that was too sensitive to be breeched.

Little Hiccup's confession.

"How was the past?" Fishlegs finally said.

Hiccup had been strangely quiet about his trip, only mentioning that he was glad to be back. "It was…insightful. Nostalgic." He glanced at Tuff. "I didn't know Gothi sent you back in the past too."

"What? When did she do that?"

"When I told past Tuffnut about why I was there, he said Gothi did the same thing with him, because Ruffnut broke her back."

"I never broke my back," the female twin answered.

"Yes you did. And then it was fine. It just like…wasn't broken anymore."

"Oh my gods…" Hiccup put a hand to his forehead and laughed, "you never went back."

"What?"

"That's such a Tuffnut thing…" He just crossed his arms and continued to giggle.

The twins looked at each other and shrugged.

The night was calm. No wind, the fire crackling peacefully.

"I saw Toothless." Hiccup stated. "With both fins."

All attention was on him, each person wondering where he would go with this.

"And I wondered if there was some difference I could make, something I could do to prevent him from getting hurt. But then I realized…all of my regrets from the past, all the things I wish I could change, were just the sacrifices I had to make to get here. And instead of dwelling on them, I need to own them. Yes, I shot off Toothless' fin. Yes, my father disowned me. Yes, I almost killed my entire tribe…" He sighed. "But it worked out okay in the end."

Astrid scooted towards him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "When…Little Hiccup was here…" she began haltingly. "He said something that was…worrisome."

Immediately, Hiccup began to hunch his shoulders, and she recognized the behavior.

"He said he was going to kill himself."

Silence reigned for far too long. Hiccup's mind whirled with memories, dark thoughts, and destructive behavior.

"Yeah, I almost did." He finally admitted. "But those days are over, nothing to worry about anymore."

"No Hiccup, it is something to worry about. There was a lot of pain and suffering going on. We're your friends…"

"We just want to see you thrive, son." Stoick urged.

Hiccup glanced around at his friends and family, seeing them all smiling encouragingly.

Then, he began to speak, and let go of the past.

—

The end! Thanks for sticking with me!


End file.
